By Pete Cava

PBR Indiana Correspondent

One day after his 25^th birthday, Indianapolis native Dillon Peters made his major league debut with the Miami Marlins.  The left-hander tossed seven scoreless innings against Philadelphia at Marlins Park on September 1, striking out eight while doling out three hits and three walks.  He left with a 1-0 lead, but the Phillies went on to win 2-1 with a pair of ninth-inning runs off Miami reliever Brad Ziegler.  

Peters, who grew up in Fishers, Ind., was Cathedral High School’s starting pitcher in the 2010 and 2011 IHSAA Class 4A state championship games. 

The son of Marina Holtvoigt Peters and Mark Peters, Dillon is a third-generation pitcher.  His father was a college hurler at Arizona and Indiana and his grandfather, James Peters, pitched at the semi-pro level.  

Peters credits his dad for his early development.  “He mentored me from the beginning,” said Dillon.  “We were always breaking down situations – my games and other people’s games – just to try and make myself better.” 

In 2010, Peters helped Cathedral to the state 4A title game at Victory Field in Indianapolis, where he lost a 1-0 heartbreaker in extra innings to Fort Wayne Carroll.  Peters again took the loss in 2011, when Fort Wayne Carroll beat the Irish 5-3, despite Dillon’s 12 strikeouts.  

Peters finished the 2011 campaign with a 10-2 record and a 1.41 earned run average.  He ended his prep career with a slew of accolades, including Indiana’s Gatorade Player of the Year Award.  “His career here has been almost second to none,” said Cathedral coach Rich Andriole.  “He’s broken most – if not all – the school records on the mound.  His talent is phenomenal.”    

The Cleveland Indians selected Peters in the 20th round of the 2011 draft.  Enrolling at the University of Texas that fall, he went 17-7 in three seasons with the Longhorns.  Miami took Dillon in 10^th round of the 2014 draft, knowing he needed Tommy John surgery.  The gamble paid dividends in 2016 when he went 11-6, 2.46 for Jupiter (high-A Florida State) and 3-0, 1.99 at Jacksonville, Fla. (AA Southern). 

Peters entered this season ranked fifth among Marlins prospects by Baseball America.  “Even at 5-foot-9, Peters has big stuff and command and he has positioned himself to help in Miami as soon as 2017,” the magazine noted prophetically. 

In his third start this season, a line drive caromed off Peters’ left hand.  The injury shelved him for three months.  He says his pitching hand is now held together by “four screws and a plate.”     

Back in action by early July, Peters made 13 starts:  two for Miami’s rookie Gulf Coast League affiliate, two for Jupiter and nine for Jacksonville.  He had a combined 1.57 ERA with a 7-3 slate, fanning 55 batters in 63 innings.  

On August 25 in Jacksonville, Peters struck out seven over six and two-third innings in a 4-0 win against Birmingham.  He learned of the Marlins’ plans to promote him the following day.  The news evoked an emotional response.  “My manager (Randy Ready) called me in and told me,” he told Fox Sports Florida.  “It was awesome.  It didn’t really sink in until I got on the phone with my dad, though.  … I called him, and the waterworks happened.  Everything you can expect.”   

Some 30 relatives and friends were on hand for Peters’ first big league contest.  “It was pretty awesome,” he said in a post-game news conference.  “From the first pitch to the last pitch, I’d say it was everything I expected.  It’s just a blessing to be out there and accomplish a dream.” 

The eight strikeouts tied a Marlins record held by the late Jose Fernandez for the most in a debut contest.  “Unbelievable company,” said Peters .     

The performance made an impression on Marlins skipper and fellow Hoosier Don Mattingly.  “He kind of just kept changing speeds,” the Evansville native told reporters.  “He pretty much was great.  Fielded his position.  Obviously nothing really bad to say about his outing.”    

Peters is the first Indiana native to debut this season, and the 374^th Hoosier to reach the big leagues.  He’s also the second Cathedral alumnus currently in the majors.  Right-hander Tommy Hunter, who helped the Irish to the 2005 IHSAA Class 4A title game, is a 10-year veteran currently pitching for the Tampa Bay Rays. 

Pete Cava is the author of “Tales From the Cubs Dugout” and “Indiana-Born Major League Baseball Players:  A Biographical Dictionary, 1871-2014.”